Jason Taylor
Riding with his grandfathers on service calls, Jason Taylor spent most of his childhood learning the family business in the HVAC/R (heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration) industry. After college, Mr. Taylor spent more than ten years working for L&B Appliance Sales and Service, the family business started by his grandparents, Lloyd and Betty Taylor, in 1974. Now, Mr. Taylor gives back to the community and teaches HVAC/R and electro-mechanical classes for Cleveland State Community College.
A Bradley Central High School graduate, Mr. Taylor earned a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice at Tennessee Wesleyan University in 2009. After graduation, he joined the family business full time. He worked on the service side of the business, expanding the appliance service to include all major household brands.
When asked how he went from criminal justice to refrigeration, Mr. Taylor said, “It’s all I’ve ever done. My grandfathers on my mother’s side and my dad’s side were in refrigeration. I spent all my summers working and goofing off and tearing stuff up and being told to fix it. I’ve always had a knack for it.”
Once the service side of the business was growing, Mr. Taylor expanded into the heating and air service. Looking for employees, he came to Cleveland State to learn more about the HVAC/R certificate program. Hal Taylor was the instructor at that time, and he enrolled in the program. “I learned a great deal from Hal, and I developed a great relationship with him. I took the one-year certificate program even though I was working full time in the business,” said Mr. Taylor. “You can always learn something new.” He hired one of his classmates and came back as a guest speaker for future classes.
In 2017, Mr. Taylor was hired as an adjunct instructor for the program, then in 2020 he was hired full time in the Advanced Technologies Department. He teaches the one-year technical certificate in HVAC/R and a two-year program in electro-mechanical.
Along with these programs, Mr. Taylor teaches the HVAC/R Bootcamps and contracted training for the Workforce Development Department at Cleveland State. Partnering with City Fields, the American Job Centers and the Bradley County Justice Center, he taught five bootcamps this year. During the 90-hour program, students earn their Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Section 608 certification. The next bootcamp starts in August.
Mr. Taylor teaches these programs in the Cleveland State HVAC Lab at the Partners in Industry and Education (PIE) Center in Cleveland. The state-of-the-art lab provides the resources for hands-on training.
“Jason brings a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to the classroom. He has deep roots in this community, and the work we do in Workforce Development allows him the opportunity to invest back into that community,” said Heather Brown, director of Workforce Development. “Jason is a valuable asset to the Workforce Development Department at Cleveland State.”
When asked about his role at L&B now, Mr. Taylor smiled and said, “I show up for lunch.” He also helps out with technical support when needed. With three full-time technicians in the business, two are from the Cleveland State program.
“Never once in my life did I see myself teaching. I always wanted to be a science teacher, but I thought, I can’t do that. Here I am, teaching a science,” said Mr. Taylor. " I love my community. I want to see everyone succeed and use my knowledge in air-conditioning and refrigeration to help build a workforce in the area. Cleveland State allows me to do exactly that."
Mr. Taylor and his wife, Stefanie, live in Cleveland with their two children, Katherine and Luke.
For more information about HVAC/R Bootcamps or specialized training opportunities, contact Ms. Brown at hbrown@clevelandstatecc.edu or 423-614-8793.